Consumed
by windRiderMAK
Summary: We all have things that dictate our lives, our every move, our thoughts and feelings. For the psychic, her powers became all-consuming. For the leader, his feelings for her became an obsession.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey guys! This is my first story on fanfiction…ever. I've actually been writing some COTT stories for a while but for some reason it only occurred to me a couple weeks ago that a website must exist where you can post stories…anyway, not so intelligent. Needless to say, I got another e-mail and signed up immediately, but because of exams and graduation and other school things, I haven't had time to go on here!**

**I haven't read any stories yet, but I'm sure I will probably be living on this site for the next little while, even though diplomas are starting soon…**

**I hope you all enjoy this and let me know what you think! I understand that COTT isn't exactly, well, _on_ anymore, but I hope you guys will still like it!**

**I'll shut up now! By the way, I obviously don't own COTT, if I did, we'd be on season 10 by now.**

"Come back, you coward! Fight!" the Leader shouted as the psychotic god of time once again disappeared through his portal. Archie cursed loudly, the others were just flat out frustrated with the god's constant refusal to fight them. They all knew he hated to play fair, but at least make an effort! How many actual fights with Cronus have they had? How many times have they been able to show off their fighting skills? They were beginning to get frustrated since it has been almost two years and Cronus was still free.

"Fucking hell! He is driving me absolutely insane! What a friggin' coward!" Theresa exclaimed, her hands clenched tightly around her nun-chucks.

"Hey, that's your ancestor you're talking about there," Odie commented dryly, smirking slightly, trying to lighten things up a bit. Theresa gave him an amused look.

"Don't remind me."

"Alright guys, lets head home," Jay sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He did not look well and the others were getting concerned about him, especially Theresa. She patted his back and led the way to Herry's truck. Jay sighed and watched Theresa as she walked in front of him and soon, he fell into a trance. He admired the attractive Fighter leading him out of the forest. Her red hair trailed behind her and shined in the moonlight as a slight breeze blew the strands near her face back. Her slim figure temporary let his mind wander away from Cronus and–

An elbow nudged him in his side and he coughed and tried to act natural, hoping no one noticed his staring. The owner of the elbow snickered and Jay glanced at the purple haired Warrior beside him.

"Watcha looking at Jay, hm?" Archie questioned while the other four heroes were fighting back laughter. Jay flushed and avoided eye contact.

"N-Nothing…"

"Hm. Sure," Archie smirked at Jay who scowled back at him. The two stared at each other for a moment before Archie raised an eyebrow expectantly when the Fighter called for them to hurry up.

"Shut up," Jay growled pushing past Archie.

"I knew it! You practically admitted it right there!" Archie exclaimed, childishly pointing at Jay. At this time Theresa turned around and gave the two boys a confused look.

"What are you talking about? What did he admit?" she asked. Archie opened his mouth to speak, still grinning, when a hand whacked him over the head. Theresa's eyebrows shot up. " What was that for?"

"Archie doesn't know when to shut up," Jay grumbled, crossing his arms. Theresa laughed and nodded.

"Can't argue with that!"

"I'm right here you know," the Warrior said, rubbing the back of his head.

"We know," Theresa and Jay said at the same time. She smirked at him and he just blushed at all the eyes staring at him. Theresa walked around to the other side of Herry's truck and opened the door.

"Is everybody coming or what?" she called from the other side. Everyone grinned and move towards the truck.

"I think I know someone who is definitely _coming,_ if you catch my drift," Neil muttered to the five other heroes, all of whom (except Jay) exploded with laughter. Jay's eyes widened and his face flushed with embarrassment.

"Wh-what? N-no! Wh-what?" Jay spluttered as the others continued to laugh.

When the others piled into the truck still laughing, Theresa frowned at all of them, and then at the humiliated Leader beside her.

"What is so damn funny?" she asked.

"Oh wouldn't you like to know?" Neil chuckled. Theresa let out a dramatic, exasperated sigh.

"Ugh! You're so annoying Neil! You're even worse than Archie sometimes!"

"Again, I'm right here," Archie said as he put his seatbelt on. Theresa muttered something that sounded like "Whatever" and turned to Jay.

"Were they making fun of you?" Theresa asked, pouting childishly at their Leader who turned a whole new shade of red. Instead of making the situation awkward, he tried to make it more comfortable, so he crossed his arms and pouted, looking out the window.

"Yes…"

"You guys are just so mean sometimes!"

"We know. It's fun," Neil said, checking himself in his mirror.

"Jay can kick you off the team you know. He's the leader," Theresa pointed out. Jay uncrossed his arms and turned to face the others as Herry sped down the road.

"Yeah! So there!"

"Kay fine, try defeating Cronus without a little luck," Neil replied.

"Gladly!" Theresa laughed. The playful bickering continued all the way back to the school and until they met up with Hera.

"Sorry Hera, he took off again," Jay said apologetically. The goddess smiled lightly at the young heroes.

"Don't worry. It will happen, in time. But tonight, you may return to the brownstone and rest. Good night children." The seven titans said good night and exited the Hera's solarium. When they were gone, Hera let out a heavy sigh. She was worried about the day when the Fighter's different powers would be in conflict with each other and they would have to…restrain her. She silently walked through the dark hallways and corridors of the secret wing of the school until she reached the doors to Persephone's solarium. The scent of roses filled her nostrils as she pushed the giant doors open. She found Persephone once again watering her plants. She always took care of her flowers, but when she was worried or stressed, she would immerse herself into the plants and was rarely seen. Lately, she barely left her flowers.

"Persephone. May I have a word with you?" Hera asked politely. Persephone glanced up from a brilliantly white rose and looked into Hera's piercing eyes.

"Yes of course," Persephone answered nervously. She put her watering can gently onto the table and folded her hands in front of her. "What can I help you with, Hera?"

"Theresa. Has she been showing any…signs lately?" Persephone paused for a moment, unsure of how she would answer the question.

"Well…I think so. There are so many things going on in her personal life that are the perfect triggers for the…" Persephone took a deep breath before continuing. "Hera, I fear that it will be any day now. She is under so much pressure and she doesn't admit it, but she is very stressed. I looked into her mind."

Hera took a moment to absorb the information. "Let's just hope we can catch it in time."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Well, I'm off to bed. We've got Saturday training tomorrow," Atlanta groaned as the seven heroes filed into the brownstone. Herry chucked his keys onto the kitchen table.

"Yeah, I suppose…" the Brawn said through a yawn. The titans all moved into their separate rooms and most fell asleep immediately, exhausted from school, training and their 'fight' with Cronus. Jay however, couldn't sleep and neither could Archie. Their rooms were right next to each other and that helped with Archie's realization that Jay was in love, and sort of obsessed with the resident psychic. Oftentimes, during the night, Archie could hear their Leader moan the Fighter's name while he was dreaming. He let it slide at first, but after he had to start wearing earplugs to bed, he confronted their leader who was embarrassed to say the least. Jay had claimed that he had no knowledge of this and that he was asleep _every_ time he said her name, but Archie was beginning to wonder if he wasn't actually…awake from time to time. Not only that, the Leader was taking longer showers lately. Like _really_ long showers. Archie didn't comment, as it was none of his business what Jay did in the shower, but the Warrior thought it was obvious.

Jay lay awake thinking about the Fighter (no surprise there). He had been very depressed over the past several months because Theresa had found herself a boyfriend and he was perfect according to her. He was smart, funny, caring, and incredibly handsome (even Jay had to admit he was fairly attractive). Worst of all, they seemed inseparable. He always at lunch with them, and Jay hated to admit it, but he was a really nice guy and he treated her well. They're hands were always intertwined and every time they looked at each other, their faces lit up and Theresa smiled brightly. It seemed like they were in love and there was nothing Jay could do about it.

XXXXXXXXXXX

The next morning, everyone sat together at the kitchen table, eating the breakfast Athena made for them and chatting…peacefully. The heroes, even Archie, were too tired to fight with anybody first thing in the morning so breakfast conversations were always peaceful.

Jay was beyond exhausted, as usual. Everyone had been thinking that Jay was kept up all night by thoughts of Cronus, but he actually never slept because of thoughts of Theresa. He felt guilty and he felt like a terrible leader for thinking more about a girl that a crazy god of time they were supposed to defeat, but he was a teenage boy…it's only natural.

"You sleep well?" Jay looked up from his plate. It took him a few moments to realize where the voice had come from. His eyes connected with the Fighter's, whose were filled with concern.

"Sorta," he mumbled, looking down at his food again. He heard her sigh before speaking again.

"You should go back to sleep, you know? Take a nap, you look terrible."

"We have training, so…" Jay grumbled, still avoiding eye contact. He could feel everyone else staring at him though.

"Well…we could always…take a day off?" Theresa said sweetly. When he looked up, she had a huge, bright smiled on her face that she used when she tried to get someone to do something for her. No one could say 'no' to Theresa when she put that face on. Jay paused for a moment, forgetting all about his surroundings and the fact that he was supposed to respond. He flushed and realized that his mouth was probably hanging open a bit. Theresa, thankfully, didn't seem to notice. Jay looked down again and shook his head.

"No. Training is important. We can't take the day off. Sorry." Theresa just shrugged and moved away from the table, taking her empty plate to the sink.

"Yeah, that's what I figured. But, it was worth a shot," Theresa smiled at him over her shoulder and he nearly choked on his food, resulting in Archie choking on his own food with laughter. Archie downed his glass of milk and was trying to hold back his laughter until Theresa left the room. Theresa frowned at Archie in confusion before rolling her eyes and going upstairs to get ready. As soon as he heard her door close, the Warrior burst into a fit of irrepressible laughter. Jay glared at him.

"I love this place!" Archie wiped away the tears that were falling from his eyes and the others snickered at their leader. Archie made his way up the stairs after Theresa.

Jay scowled at his food and said, "You'd think that being the leader would mean you would have _some_ control and _some_ respect…"

The rest shrugged and laughed, some patted him on the back, others ruffled his hair, and soon Jay was the last one left at the table. He had finished eating, but he didn't have the energy to get up and move.

Finally, after ten minutes and a lot of 'encouragement' from Athena, Jay left the table and went to his room. He absentmindedly changed, barely conscious, but he was still able to think about Cronus and red hair…

"Come on Jay! All of us are ready! Ares is going to kill us if we're late!" he recognized the voice to be Odie's…for a small man, he could sure yell. Jay sighed, feeling very depressed this morning, and then shut his door behind him before making his way downstairs. Theresa put her hand on his back and pushed him forward gently, smiling at him.

"Don't look so glum, Jay. We only have to train for 2 hours today! Most Saturday sessions are at least three!" Jay couldn't help but smile at her positivity. It was one of the many things he loved about her. It was something everybody loved about her, which is why she practically had a date lined up whenever she wanted and with whomever she wanted. He sank deeper into his depression at the realization that she would never be his. She would always belong to someone else.

**A/N: So there we have it. Poor little broken hearted Jay join the club bro. Anyway I'd love to hear what you guys think and I have the next few chapters 'written', they just need to be edited…a lot.**

**Mandy AK**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Um…so my bad…? I thought it would be up sooner but I hated this chapter before so I rewrote it… still, it shouldn't have taken me this long!**

**Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you to my first reviewers:**

**ColdnessOfLove, HoneyGoddess57, kaithelonechampion, irish-table, and historian girl**

**Love you guys so much! This chapter is dedicated to you!**

**So anyway, here we are gorgeous people! Chapter 2!**

The gods filed into Hera's solarium, some chose to sit on the couches, while others stood, lingering near the back. They were all slightly nervous about the impending conversation. They had all been previously informed of the situation at hand, but they would soon discover just how real the issue actually is.

"You all know why we are here. We all need to be aware of the situation at hand so that we can be prudent in stopping it before it spreads and gets out of control," Hera spoke in her usual calm, commanding tone. All the gods were listening intently to the goddess. "Persephone has brought to my attention that our young Fighter is beginning to show signs. The stress these mortals need to endure is contributing to the intensity of this situation and we suspect that it will be only a matter of time before it…consumes her."

"How do we stop it?" Hermes piped up, hovering in the air with his winged shoes. How he hated such young people to experience what they have and will. They have the fate of the world resting on their shoulders…not to mention special abilities that set them apart from other mortals, alienating them. It is not fair, Hermes thought, attempting to keep a blank, emotionless face. Hera turned to face him directly.

"We catch it in time. I want you all to keep an eye on her, especially when she is under your supervision. If her powers do come into conflict with each other and the dark side overcomes the good, she will become extremely dangerous and probably unstoppable. We have to restrain her before it spreads. If it takes over her entire body and nothing is holding her back, she will attack, feeding these dark powers even more."

"Well…why is this happening to her anyway?" Aphrodite ventured, raising her hand slightly in the air to attract Hera's attention. Aphrodite cared deeply for these children. Many considered her to be self-centred, vain, uncaring and superior (at least in her opinion). Although she had been that way in the past, she had grown to love the young children as if they were her own. She was, of course, still vain, being the goddess of love and beauty did sort of require that, but that didn't mean she did not care for others. She did relate to Neil the most, but the others were unique and beautiful in their own way which Aphrodite was beginning to love more and more. Being the goddess of beauty, she was starting to realize and appreciate the fact that can take many forms.

"Persephone and I hypothesize that it is because some of Cronus' evil magic is inside of her. She is a good human, but we all have dark and light inside of us and the stress she is experiencing is only fueling the dark magic. But the vast majority of those mortals who possess magical powers will experience the same thing. And we've been, for the most part, able to save these people. Of course there have only been a handful of mortals in all of history with magical powers, but we feel confident in our ability to control the process."

"She will be alright, won't she?" Hephaestus questioned his voice rough and raspy. The young heroes always brightened up his day when he saw their innocent, almost childish, faces smiling at him as he created a new gadget for them to use. It pained him that they had to defeat an immortal, all to protect gods who hid out in a secret wing of a high school. Sometimes, he just wanted to tell them to stay put while the gods fought their own battles, but as Hera said, a prophesy is a prophesy. You cannot take away another's destiny.

Hera paused briefly then nodded. "If we catch it in time. But helping her won't be easy. She'll be in for a rough few days."

"Shouldn't we tell the young heroes?" Ares voice bellowed throughout the room. He always tried his best not to show concern for the young heroes. It was in his nature to be aggressive and hostile and oftentimes, uncaring. However, he had come to care for these young mortals. Sometimes, although he would never admit it, he would feel sorry for them. He was no stranger to violence or chaos, but they were just children. They should not have to fight the gods' battles, and yet here they were risking their lives to protect immortals. He hated how they were making him soft, but then again, maybe his time of fighting and violence and emotional detachment was over. Maybe now he had something that he could care for, something he could truly live for. He almost regretted the fact that they were mortals and would eventually move on with their lives, leaving the gods behind.

Hera contemplated his comment for a moment before answering. "No. There is no point in worrying them. They have enough stress to deal with for now. We do not need to frighten the young Fighter; that will only cause the process to happen sooner. When the time comes, we will explain it to them. We can only hope that they will understand."

XXXXXXXXXX

**A/N: so here's my idea of gods see heroes! I know that in the show, the gods didn't seem to care too much for them (*cough* Phantom Rising *cough*) so I kinda wanted to do this to show their more "human" side. I felt that they could be like the parents to the heroes while they were away from home, but that didn't always happen in the show…still, the show was perfect and I wouldn't change a thing! This is just an idea of mine!**

**Mandy AK**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: haha! Faster than last time!**

**A massive thank you to those who reviewed the last chapter! You guys make me so happy *cries tears of joy***

**This chapter is dedicated to the reviewers of chapter 2:**

**classofthetitans711, ColdnessOfLove, Little Miss Illusional, kaithelonechampion, Guest, ER, HoneyGoddess57 and historiangirl**

**You guys are the best!**

**BTW, I definitely do not own COTT. If I did, every episode would be about Theresa because I am just that obsessed with her…**

"That was fun!" the Huntress said happily, bouncing towards the locker rooms, the Fighter close behind her.

"I gotta admit, that was not as bad as I thought it would be," Theresa said, smiling at the teenage boys rubbing their sore shoulders, arms, legs, etc…

"Easy for you two to say," Odie grumbled, "You were on a role today…"

"We were, weren't we?" Atlanta said, high fiving her best friend who gave the boys a cheeky grin. Theresa's long red haired, tied up in a ponytail for training, bounced as she hopped to the locker rooms. The heroes had practiced hand-to-hand combat and Theresa and Atlanta had kicked everyone's asses (A/N: girls rule). Ares, despite his previous opinions of females in combat, was thoroughly impressed by the girls also stating that the boys were "a disgrace to the male gender"…

"Whatever. Meet by the fountain alright?" Archie grumbled before entering the boy's locker room.

"Yeah, yeah. Nice change of topic Arch!" Atlanta shouted after him, getting angry, muffled cursing as a reply. The girls laughed and skipped into the change rooms.

The girls chatted happily as they changed; reliving their victories and laughing at the lame attempts the boys made to beat them.

"What would they do without us, huh?" Atlanta asked the older redhead.

"You know, I don't think they'd make it!" Theresa laughed, buttoning up her jeans. Atlanta pulled her shirt down over her head and smoothed it out.

"Thank Zeus there are some girls on the team, or else Cronus would be ruling the world by now!" The Fighter and the Huntress continued laughing as they packed their bags. Theresa went over to the sink, quickly looked herself over in the mirror, and turned the tap on. Her fingertips felt tingly and she thought that washing them would stop the sensation. She was part way through washing her hands when she noticed it.

She paused for a brief moment, analyzing her fingertips before calling the spunky redhead over. A second later, Atlanta was at her side, a confused and concerned expression on her face.

"What's wrong?" Theresa held her fingers up to Atlanta so she could see. The Huntress' eyes widened before narrowing in confusion. She took the older girl's hands in her own and studied the black veins forming at Theresa's fingertips (A/N: Omg Theresa, you are such a buzzkill).

"Wh-what is that?" Atlanta asked looking into the eyes of her best friend. Theresa shrugged and glanced down at her own hands.

"I dunno…it's…it doesn't look right…." Atlanta grabbed Theresa by the wrist, pulling her out of the change room.

"We'll find the others and talk to the gods. Maybe they'll know what it is."

"Know what what is?" The girls turned to face the boys, Jay in front with a worried look on his face. Theresa and Atlanta glanced at each other before looking down at Theresa's hands. Her long sleeve shirt covered her palms, but they noticed that the black veins had taken over her hand, not just the tips of her fingers. Theresa pulled her sleeve up and Atlanta gasped. The black veins had snaked down to her wrists, as had the tingling sensation.

"What is that?" Jay asked, the worry evident in his voice. He stepped forward and took Theresa's hand in his. He examined it as he gently traced over the dark lines with his fingers. "Let's find Hera."

"What are you all still doing here?" the loud voice of the god of War caused all the heroes' heads to snap around. They all looked at him, unsure of what to say. "What's the matter with all of you, you look-" Ares stopped when he looked at the small hand held in the Leader's grasp. He stared for a moment, making sure that what he saw was true, and then he turned to Atlanta.

"Get Persephone. Now." The second the order escaped Ares' lips, Atlanta was gone.

"Ares…what is this?" Herry asked, gesturing to Theresa's hands. She gently pulled her hand out of Jay's and rolled up her sleeves even further. It had moved down, covering part of her forearms.

"I'm not sure I'm the best one to explain that…Damnit, where is Persephone!" Not a moment later, the Queen of the Underworld and the Huntress burst through the doors. Persephone hurried to her student and grabbed Theresa's wrists, pulling them out in front of her.

"Oh Theresa…" she whispered, a solemn look on her face.

"What? What is it? What's going on?" Theresa frantically asked.

"We have to hurry." Persephone turned to Atlanta, "Find Chiron and tell him we're taking Theresa to the room." Atlanta disappeared again and before anyone could say anything else, Persephone turned to Archie and said, "Find Hera. Tell her that we're taking Theresa there now." Archie nodded before disappearing through the doors. Persephone glided through the halls, pulling Theresa, who had to run to keep up with the goddess, behind her. The rest of the heroes followed, still confused about what was happening.

"Persephone, what is happening?" Theresa asked, this time more demanding. Persephone did not look back, but sighed heavily.

"I'll explain everything when we get there. We don't have time now."

The five heroes, plus Ares and Persephone, reached a decrepit wooden door in a part of the school the heroes had never been to. Ares pushed the door open and the mysterious room was revealed.

It appeared to be a storage room of sorts, for weapons mostly. The weapons were piled up on one side of the room and boxes were scattered around the base of the pile. A stone table was in the center, about the size of a single bed. The room looked cold and uninviting, especially with the rock table and the pile of dark metal pushed to the side. Persephone dragged Theresa towards the table.

"You need to lie down Theresa." Theresa glanced at the table before looking at Persephone with a confused and terrified look. "Now." Theresa lay down on the table and looked at her mentor who was refusing to make eye contact.

"Persephone, please tell me what's going on," the Fighter whispered. Persephone looked at her student for a brief moment.

"I'm sorry…" Persephone's voice broke and Theresa opened her mouth to speak, but lost her voice when she felt something clamp down tightly around her wrists. Her friends, now joined by Atlanta and Archie who had returned with Hera and Chiron, were appalled by the restraint of their friend.

"What are you doing?" Jay shouted, trying to get to Theresa, but Ares had held out his arm, stopping the young heroes from proceeding. Jay looked frantically from Ares to Persephone to Theresa whose ankles were now strapped to the table as well.

"Persephone…?" Theresa said, confused as to why her mentor was doing this to her. Persephone took her student's face into her hand and spoke softly, but forcefully to her.

"Now Theresa, there is much I need to tell you but I might not have time to say it all." Theresa's eyes widened, assuming that Persephone meant Theresa would not have…much longer. Persephone sensed this and rushed to continue. "You will survive, there is no need to worry about that. We caught it in time." Everyone's shoulders (even the gods') relaxed.

"Caught what in time? What is…this?" Persephone sighed and continued.

"Everyone who has magical powers has both good and evil magic within them. For most mortals, at some point these powers will come into conflict with each other, usually when the evil is being fueled by certain emotions and feelings such as anger, depression, stress." Theresa swallowed, avoiding the eyes of her friends and only looking at Persephone. "But we also think that your relation to Cronus made you more susceptible…The dark side is trying to take over and if you are not restrained, you would have attacked all of us." Theresa gawked at Persephone who kept on speaking. "These attacks would give the dark side more…ammunition if you will. If this happened, dark side would have taken over completely and there would be no turning back. We would have to…kill you to stop your rampage."

Everyone's jaws, with the exception of the gods, were practically hitting the floor.

"Wh-what?" Theresa stuttered, choosing to ignore the tingling feeling crawling up her arms and now her legs. Persephone let her hands fall from Theresa's face and she turned around so as to avoid her student's gaze. She could not bear to look at her, knowing the pain she'd soon be experiencing.

"I should also warn you… this will be excruciatingly painful," Persephone let her head hang. "We have tried to find ways to ease the pain, but I'm afraid it cannot be done."

"How-how long w-will…?" Theresa stuttered, fearful of the near future.

"It will be over by Monday morning."

"Monday! That's two days away!" Jay exclaimed. Persephone glanced at the Leader, but quickly looked away.

"I know. I am terribly sorry. We will do anything we can to help you Theresa. We will be right here, but I'm afraid you children must leave." Jay stared at the goddess open-mouthed.

"N-no! We're a team! We always look out for each other!" Theresa, now beginning to feel drowsy, felt like someone was pricking her shoulders with a bunch of tiny pins.

Atlanta gasped. The others looked at her so she pointed at Theresa. "It's spreading even more!" The black lines had inched across her shoulders, slowly making their way across her chest and to the base of her neck. Theresa swallowed thickly, slipping out of consciousness, but she managed to choke out a few words.

"I…I can't…" Theresa's mouth barely moved as she whispered the words, her droopy eyes now fell completely shut. The others stared at her, obviously alarmed.

"Can't what? Persephone what's happening now?" The goddess did not respond to Jay's comment but took the young Fighter's face in her hands.

"Persephone, it's almost at her heart…" Hera said. Persephone looked from Theresa to the others.

"You need to leave children."

"No!"

"Yes! You must!" Jay was about to speak when he noticed Theresa's hands were clenched into fists. Persephone glanced at her student before whipping her head around to face the others. "You must leave now." Theresa groaned and she began tugging on her restraints, although it didn't seem like she was conscious.

"What's –" Jay began, but he was interrupted when Theresa shot up only being held back by her restraints. Jay and the others stared in astonishment as Theresa's beautiful face was now engulfed by the black veins. Her eyes had turned black as well and she…hissed at them? Jay called out her name but she did not respond, but she growled and thrashed around in her restraints. He didn't even object when Ares pushed the six of them out of the room. They all stared blankly as the door was shut in their faces.

Jay felt a hand land on his shoulders and turned to look at Herry who had a grim expression on his face. "Come on man. Let's go home…" Jay, still in a stupor, nodded and followed the others, the six of them stopping only when they heard the soul-shattering scream of their friend rip through the air.

**A/N: ugh, the ending gave me so much grief. It always came out sounding…like, humorous! And this is obviously NOT funny, so I apologize because now it just sounds stupid…**

**Anyway, I also want to apologize about the rating! I think I just didn't really know what it would be so I just put the vaguest one if that makes any sense…oops**

**Mandy AK**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Aha! I updated! Didn't take that long I suppose…**

**Anyway, who watched the Olympics? GO CANADA! Although I guess it's too late for that… So proud of Canada! At least we got one gold right? Honestly, the highlight of the Closing Ceremony, for me anyway, was when Russell Brand sang 'I Am the Walrus', and of course when the Spice Girls came on! It was like I was a preschooler again…**

**So before we get to the chapter, a massive thank you to the reviewers of the last chapter:**

**classofthetitans711, ColdnessOfLove, irish-table, historiangirl, HoneyGoddess57, and purplepeace**

**You guys are the best!**

**Sorry, I blab a lot… Now enjoy the chapter! BTW, I don't own CotT**

The heroes were practically forced to return the brownstone, sans their psychic. None of them had said much on the ride home or even at home. They all retreated to their separate rooms to deal with their own confused thoughts. Their leader, however, lingered in the kitchen, waiting for all the others to go to sleep. Once he was fairly certain that the others were asleep, he trudged up the stairs and decided to make one more stop before his bedroom.

He gently pushed the door to the Fighter's room open, letting her scent rush out and flow into his nostrils. He inhaled deeply, letting the smell temporarily calm him from his turbulent thoughts. Then everything came rushing back to him and her scent caused him to feel even more disheartened by the situation at hand. Jay's eyes pricked with tears but he ventured into her room anyway.

The feeling was almost overwhelming. Her room was just so…so _her_. And yet she wasn't even there. It felt as though she should be. Jay took in his surroundings. Her always neatly made bed, her bookshelf lined with her multitude of books. The books she loved were so…intellectual. Many people thought she would love gushy romance books, but she had classics and biographies and all kinds of complex books. She always found new ways to surprise him.

Her desk, clean just like the rest of her room, was packed with pictures of the seven of them. Her walls also had pictures of them neatly arranged and organized. Jay sighed heavily and just realized that tears were now silently pouring down his face. In that moment, he realized how just much he loved her.

Jay walked over to her desk and picked up a photo of him and Theresa. He was giving her a piggyback…back in the days when he was relaxed. Well, at least more relaxed then he had been lately. He wiped away the tears on his face and sniffed, having to put the photo back down and look away. He walked over to her window where she often sat. Jay looked out and noticed how clear the dark sky was. The moons and the stars shone bright in the middle of the night and for some reason, Jay felt angry. He felt enraged that they dared to show themselves so happily considering the circumstances.

Jay tore himself away from her window and stood in the middle of her room staring at her bed. He tried to imagine that she was there, sleeping…beautiful like an angel. At peace. Not in any pain.

Such wishful thinking.

More tears streamed down his face and he sat down on her bed, his head in his hands. Jay turned to look at her pillow as his hand smoothed over the surface of her bed.

_Why her? What did she ever do to deserve this? What else will her powers do to her?_ Jay realized right then and there that he needed to tell her before it was too late. He would not be able to live with himself is she…if something happened to her and he had not let her know how he felt. _I am so in love with her… It's an obsession._

Feeling very determined in that moment, Jay concluded that he would tell her the next time he saw her. It didn't matter that she had a boyfriend. She had to know. And he had to tell her.

There was a small noise at the door and Jay turned his head for a brief moment, but immediately looked away when he saw a flash of purple hair.

"Jay? You alright, man?" Archie asked softly. Jay, unable to speak, just sniffed in response. Archie sighed sympathetically before taking a few steps into Theresa's room. "Persephone said she will be fine. Our girl's a fighter. You know that."

Jay exhaled deeply before speaking. "But what if her powers do something like this again? (A/N: *cough cough* Phantom Rising *cough cough*)What if she can't be saved next time? I just… I-I…."

"It's okay. You can say it."

"I love her!" Jay blurted out, but not loud enough for the rest of the household to hear. Archie smiled sadly at Jay. He couldn't imagine what Jay must being experiencing…if Atlanta was in that situation…he didn't know what he would do.

"I know Jay…I know. Try to get some sleep, alright? I hate to say it, but there's not much that we can do now. We'll go back to school tomorrow. See how she's doing. Okay?" Jay stared at Archie for a brief moment, his cheeks still wet with tears, before he nodded and left his love's room. Archie sighed as Jay brushed past him and out Theresa's door. He glanced around her room, a feeling of guilt nagging at his insides.

_Have I been too…mean to her? If she ever... I would never be able to live with myself. _

Archie swallowed the lump in his throat and closed the door to the Fighter's room. There was someone he needed to see…

XXXXXXX

Atlanta sat on her knees atop her bed, clutching her pillow under her chin and she let her tears fall from her eyes. She hated that her best friend had to go through so much pain and there was nothing anyone could do to help. She just felt so…so useless! Her angry thoughts were interrupted by a light knock on her door. Not caring if anyone saw her tears, she allowed them to come in. She was relieved and comforted to see purple hair.

"Hey, how ya doing?" Archie asked gently. Atlanta just shrugged and sniffed. Archie shut the door behind him and sat beside Atlanta on her bed. Still holding the pillow, Atlanta looked up at Archie with sad eyes.

"What if she-" Atlanta croaked. Archie stopped her.

"She won't. Remember, Persephone said she'll survive."

"But…how…how much pain will she be in? I can't just sit here while they perform an…exorcism type thing on her! I mean…just…why?" Archie exhaled deeply and wasn't sure how to go about comforting Atlanta. Sure he'd comforted Jay…but he could almost understand his pain. Whenever someone was upset or anything, Theresa was the one who would calm them down and cheer them up. But not this time.

"Theresa…she's…she's strong, Lanta. Have you ever met a girl so strong? And stubborn?" Atlanta snorted and smiled softly at Archie. "Well, aside from you of course." Atlanta laughed again and punched Archie in the arm.

"You're such a dork sometimes," she muttered. Archie just shrugged and gazed at the spunky redhead. "You really think she'll be okay?"

"Absolutely. When has that girl ever let something, or someone, get the best of her? I just told Jay the same thing…" Atlanta shifted on the bed and put the pillow to the side.

"You saw Jay? How is he?"

"He's…well…pretty upset. Understandably. I can only imagine what's he's going through…" Atlanta gave him a confused look.

"What do you mean?" Archie, realizing that he was so close to telling her, didn't stop. He looked at her, a burst of courage and confidence loosening up his lips.

"I don't know what I'd do if that was happening to you."

_Did he just…?_

"To…me? Archie do you-" she was silenced by a gentle hand reaching up to stroke her cheek. He scooted closer and she didn't move. Archie stared at the spunky redhead, thankful that she was safe, well, and…alive. He realized then that life, especially the seven of theirs, was too short to keep things from those you love with all you heart.

"Atlanta…I-I love you." Atlanta froze, not even daring to blink. Archie try to catch her eyes, but she was avoiding them. She was nervous, but it was a good kind of nervous.

_He loves me…he…he actually loves me!_ (A/N: lame! Sorry!)

Atlanta, ecstatic by the news, leaned forward and pressed her lips against the Warrior's.

After a few moments, the tentative kiss ended and Atlanta pulled back slightly.

"I love you, Arch."

**A/N: I hope you enjoyed the chapter! I'll try to get the next one up soon! We are nearing the end so I might be posting another one of my stories up soon!**

**Mandy AK**


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